Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - December 1, 2006
"New WHO-recommended drug regimens for patients starting treatment can be up to six times more expensive than today's most commonly used combination," the Geneva-based branch of the group said in a statement issued Friday in Moscow.
People who experience drug resistance or side-effects from the new anti-retroviral treatment can require therapy that is at least 50 times more expensive than the drugs commonly used today, the group said.
"It's clear as day that at current prices, the cost of accessing new drugs will bankrupt treatment programs, but governments, industry and multilateral agencies are doing far too little to address the issue," the organization's Tido von Schoen-Angerer was quoted as saying in the statement.
Treatment programs would fail in the absence of a steady supply of generic versions of newer drugs, said von Schoen-Angerer, director of the organization's Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines.
Russian Health Minister Mikhail Zurabov said in a statement issued Friday that Russia had allocated 3.1 billion rubles ($118 million) of the state budget this year to the fight against HIV and Hepatitis B and C, and that Russia aspired to provide equal access for all people who are HIV-positive to anti-retroviral drug therapies.
The Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling Russia "an active participant and significant donor in multilateral efforts to combat HIV and AIDS, and it noted Moscow is establishing a regional center to develop a vaccine against AIDS.
Chief epidemiologist Gennady Onishchenko said Thursday the number of officially registered cases of HIV had reached 362,000. Among them are 2,300 children, more than half infected in the womb, he said, according to the RIA-Novosti news agency.
International agencies and some Russian experts have said the true number of HIV-infected people in Russia is closer to 1 million. Activists allege Russia is dragging its feet in battling the disease and that the nation faces a devastating epidemic and demographic crisis within the next decade if more is not done.
061201
AP061201
Copyright © 2006 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2006. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2006. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .